hundred twenty nine void votes that represent over eighty nine percent right now these are the counts we have but we are told that there are approximately fifteen thousand votes to be counted yet. i saw has claimed responsibility for a knife attack that killed two people in them are say in the southern french city at the main train station there but he's opened a counterterrorism investigation after the attacker was shot dead by special forces at the scene and canada police say a man arrested over an attack in edmonton is a somali national seeking refugee status five people were injured when the thirty year old rammed into a traffic control barricade before attacking a police officer with a knife the trial of two women accused of murdering the north korean leader's estranged half brother is due to get under way in malaysia they're accused of poisoning kim jong nam with a nerve agent at the crack kuala lumpur airport in february and iran has joined

iraqi efforts to take control of their border crossing from the kurdish regional government while it tries to convince a regional government to cancel the referendum resource coming up next on al-jazeera inside story. with. the the. violence outside polling stations in spain's controversial secession vote saying they want to separate bob madrid insists the referendum is illegal so how will the governments deal with this and can cotton on your be independent this is inside story. with.

with. with. hello and welcome to the program i'm elizabeth pradhan illegal and irresponsible those are the words of the spanish deputy prime minister who can do. catalonians leaders for sunday's controversial secession referendum tens of thousands of confidants turned out to vote lead into violent scenes in some parts of barcelona when spanish national police sent from outside the region try to shut down polling stations and confiscate ballots in madrid the central government said police acted with professionalism and a proportionate way to get to our guests in a moment but first ten holes that some discussion from barcelona following the police movement from one polling station to the next. i don't turn on polling trying to shut it down to the resist and then home right now they're out.

but if you can see them down now i was talking to move on. to the crowd. that chon from the crowd from the recession photos. now remember that this guy come from other areas of maine to catch a load of the specific crimes out on this referendum on how early as tomorrow. to move around the door and they drag. don't know why an ambulance. right now. what is your reaction when they want it's already out. i mean this is a terrible thing it's completely unfair we are a nation we won we will be free they cannot. do with us on this is completely outrageous. the international community should react to that who

are people who are honest people we won our country free they are gone it's over that was just love it he's a us you talk tough but cattle man he wanted a vote here today and now the spanish national riot police always drawing from this area see if we can get a picture of these people coming up now. that we have seen at least one person taken away with injuries off the scuffles with police many people camping outside the education ministry in tia's because they weren't able to vote and because of the way that the spanish national riot police came in this just to show you the level of police presence here we're just going through here and i'm going to show you the line. and this is this is the spanish national police.

because this is one of the borders around the city of barcelona. coming to a polling station after polling station to try and shut the referendum down. they're now getting back into their vans. well our correspondent john hendren spoke to the leader of spain's catalonia region and asked him what he thinks of the central government to using police force to stop people from voicing maybe. you have seen images of. the spanish. people. in various points of spain where police convoy celine's were going saying go on get. those images you define or reflect what the policy of the government. they have

no interest in making us feel comfortable with in spain we are happy with it pay no no because they're here for them it's almost like a private piece of property. and we're going to go go against you because how can you dare. come to begin to leave. that history will judge this almost scandalous absence of political negotiation this is. irresponsible the spanish government has almost acted like. an arsonist has been putting. putting of. wood on the fire it's been acting as. totally responsibly. well let's bring in our panel who all join us from barcelona today and rick martinez is a political analyst and sagna. is

a lecturer at the university of barcelona specializing in conflict security and defense welcome to you all dr martinez if i can start with you and what we've seen today pictures of riot police smashing glass doors to go inside polling stations and confiscate ballot boxes why did the spanish government go to the lengths and did today to stop this vote and how is the violence acceptable i don't know that goes over the fall of the guards i am a leveling board as if all of the got almost. this fall they inspired some raw authorities by extremists from both. the right wing extremist but not always all of them and there's always. people from bus company from germany from italy from the foreign european grounders here who have to organize riots. fortunately we have a world frame. work for. all these people who are going.

to be proportionate in the use of going over all the police behavior. i thought. was this the most vocal in us saying what the deputy spanish prime minister said today miss on those let me bring you in here because i can see that you join agree at all with with what dr martin is saying happened today no i'm x. absolutely astonished by the words from dr martinez. all i have seen is police beating all people people who were sitting on the floor was peacefully entering schools where kids and families where they're just sitting down to prevent ballot boxes from being taken away police using absolutely. proportionate violence type of violence that i've seen in other places in the world and you would never expect in your country and the images of sane and the ones i'm speaking inside the

schools there were no people from outside no groups who had come from other parts of spain or europe at all saying that this is proportion and it's not only being unfair but it really worries me about what can someone who thinks disproportionate and feel that it's a police role in a democratic state because if this is what day believe it's proportion and against citizens i think we really have a problem as a country and as i want to bring you in here because the same that we have seen so far in our news rooms have been violence carried out by security forces so if i can say that again you completely disagree with what miss. is saying there has been a lot of criticism so far from people around the world of how the spanish

government the lengths they've gone to the heavy handed tactics they seem to have taken to stop this vote. here we are the funding the magazine we are defending the most of the rights for everyone for all. it's really important that we preserve the quality freedom so that it be as well as union and cooperation with different people people with different backgrounds living through weather here in missouri we had a. universal town and we we are very proud of. living together in peace. so i'm a couple of thousands perhaps a thousand of them is coming from from from other european countries came here to look for for trouble. in all of. these women are very well

trained. as what do you basing that on that is alison's of extremists from other countries have come to spain what are you basing that on. from italy for example from from france from the us going to. the other two well well they are famous for their thirty's that they would use for nearly forty years. yes how are they are very small numbers on the bullies these are the mccarthy bullies is definitely able to deal with you know very proposal no marks of a soft as possible. miss on the if i can see that you want to come in but just before you do let's have a look at some of the history and how we've got here the desire for independence has a long history in catalonia and is driven by a mix of economic and cultural factors sunday's vote is the second referendum in three years catalonia is an north-east in spain and has a population of seven point five million people it accounts for twenty percent of

the country's economic output and its capital barcelona is a major tourist destination. have their own distinct culture and identity which existed for centuries before being fully brought in under spanish rule and seventeen fourteen the identity was said to be suppressed by spain particularly under the military rule of francisco franco from one nine hundred thirty nine to one nine hundred seventy five but since the one nine hundred seventy nine statute of autonomy the region has gained more powers it has its own parliament police force and control over education the push for full autonomy appears to have gathered pace and recent years most notably after spain's debt crisis we're going to bring in a new guest now in the story about a boss alone amazing writer who is in favor of independence in a story about very good to have you with us on the program given what we've seen

today at least thirty eight people injured the scenes of violence was the referendum a success. well they did come and take it to the government catalonia is he saying is three hundred people injured. yeah i think the referendum is being a success in terms of the mobilization of people to vote he did go down and see people outside one of the polling stations and there were thousands of people who actually managed to repel back to lease when the police came to see to stop the voting and there was a festive feel in the street people obviously angry and upset and but you know the the the figures are that most of the most of the polling booths are operating that there are the ballots that people can vote at there's a universe of census which is allowing people that you can vote in their local po polling station to be able to go to another polling station and it's very clear

that masses of people have gone into the street before the summer it was expected that only half of the cannon population were going to vote and i think we'll find that by the end of today the percentage of people who will have voted will be much higher miss on those how what do you think the percentage the turnout will do for catalonian independence. dreams because the spanish government has done everything it can to keep the turnout low so given that what a low turnout would it what the vote still be legitimate if it was a low turnout. unfortunately it's a very very uncertain senario because as you said the side is doing as much as it can to prevent the voting happening so i'm not i really have no idea of what's happening in other parts of catalonia i've just been walking around the city today

and i know some schools police has gone in and taken away ballot boxes so those boxes are not going to be in the counting anymore so but i think definitely something like participation it's going to be much higher than it was expected maybe even last not because of this repression that we're seeing would you please allow me to say that i really apologize to all just euro audience for having to listen to want to martinez just said before. i really regret that speech is like. a voice to go because what it was i was so silent oh my me what exactly is it that you join to agree with what he's saying before i give him a chance to ask critical as i've been with the point of and his movement on the prime dependence politicians i am an electoral observer myself i've been very critical about all the. desirable conditions of the election today

regarding the polling tables who is there how people received. coal for voting there was no clear campaign i've been very critical about everything but i think speaking off today being proud of our police men being well trained i am a professor of the catalan please myself. what we are saying it just makes me be very ashamed as a citizen and i'm i just came back from seeing some police actions and i just couldn't help crying now if someone is proud of this it just makes me feel very first rate it because maybe this person does not believe the mock receive the way i believe he's just repeating the same messages that we heard two weeks ago on al-jazeera in the stream about solidarity democracy. between peoples i could agree on all that but trying to diminish what the repression we're seeing today here as european citizens it absolutely makes me wonder if let me bring dr marshall martin

this. is a game and if we're playing a game a game has some rules if i break the rules you don't want to play with me. for example let's take cricket but dr nyce you know we're not talking about cricket would return about the caution and record and friends and some wrong is the spanish government is the government and we're trying to play in but the funny thing is this is the government in madrid playing by the rules you know the other side of lawyers is the government we've got some riots in the square dr martinez is the government in madrid playing by the rules he actually is looking didn't do enough if you're looking for a problem of the square i don't think dr martinez can hear me so let me go to. mr starr about miss on dolls was talking about some of the flaws in this referendum so far i want to ask you about the question itself a simple yes or no when surely the issue is much more complex than that surely though there are cost lines that have

a lot of pride in their identity but. maybe not want to secede from spain and have greater autonomy what happens to them did this referendum cater to the variety of views in catalonia. the question will be how many people have voted if they say that this referendum is big as the support for having a referendum in catalonia and eighty percent of the current population say they want to represent them whether they want independence or not then clearly this will be a democratic mandate for the cattle and government and the cattle and people to take a decision over whether to be an independent state or not i'd probably disagree with and read about it they know it's description of democracy as a game because it's not a game that democracy is about people having the right to decide over their future it's about majorities actually making a choice over their future and you can't force people to be in a state they don't want to be in especially when that state today is using the

violence of the kind we've just seen that you have been using rubber bullets against people someone to look looks like they've lost an arm and i there's been massive charges against old people and young people they've been smashing through the doors of schools and in many schools i don't mandate that children are going to go to school and they going to ask the teachers. teacher who who smashed the door you know vasco and the teachers were after and said it was the police now i don't see how we can talk about this is a game of think it's quite sick and to read can even suggest that dr martinez i'm going to try coming back to you i know you've had some trouble hearing me but we have you know bought and miss i don't i was saying that this is the model as i was saying this is that i was ready this is not democracy this is a this is a fake game this is a game with forwards this is not serious this is not open markets we have all this thought out of that i'm is a tautology thirty one isn't and i said i'm sorry please don't respond so i don't

want to you know. i mean today hasn't just happened you know back in i will right now. because i will likely be out in the square i don't like the reality but it is a square to see what i am seeing my only see a little listen what i need to listen to mr starr is not. actually. coming back to do so is this just about please continue. i mean you know to tell you today's an organization the referendum comes after house series of attacks against the referendum seven hundred miners being threatened with various. websites being taken down ballot box being see. there's being you know government ministers you know charged and friends. and so activities. just as i was this people involved in for economic mess a story about a man and a little bit of trouble hearing you so let me go to a message now on. some of the things that you are talking about the conditions

around the referendum we've heard from the cuttlebone your president col is pushing want has been very critical of the silence on what's been happening why haven't we heard more from the e.u. do you think about what's been happening around this referendum. the european union it's a union of states and vera for its. few reticular logical from a state perspective to first respect states over any t. and second in spanish we have a phrase that says when you see your neighbor having the beard cut just yours in a safe place which means almost every state in the european union has a richer and it would potentially want to become independent so i think it's logical that does not mean it's like g t made but i think it was logical until now that the european union tried to be very calm and quiet hoping that this would be

solved in a reasonable way dr that has not happened and sorry go ahead i'm going to bring in dr martinez now miss on the if catalonia becomes an enlightened and state what your you know you are very clear on that you are against ward or spain withhold its support for catalonia joining the e.u. and if so on what grounds i mean what kind of action can we expect from the government at madrid at this point. as i said before i left wing or the go commentator i mean favor of workers' rights here think of the lonely we have been suffering for more than formerly now little of the forty forty years forty years we have been suffering a lot of this came in a show we have been suffering sort of. like africa is committing i guess i got a feel of. notes michel a lot who are not nationalists we're in favor of the notion of is solidarity

equality of. their freedom to. of course we are very much in favor of the european union that. continental setting of. rights for all or i talk to my colleagues i think it was a little bit much for your we don't there are lot is far more subtle was not doing what i'm saying even if i'm all i would like to bring in now because i can see again that you really don't agree with what you're hearing here well i just i cannot even allow that like how can he dare to mention worked hard in catalonia really like as a professor of international companies i've seen people who really suffer and struggle around the world occupied countries by people speaking or even daring to mention in any of both sense because i've also heard some cotton and people saying that cotton only has been occupied from spain if they had lived in

a country they would know what it is how many were tight ok. mr starr but i'll just like to bring you in here. where to from here. i think where we go from here yes. i think they will be a massive vote today even though the state has mobilized all its forces to try and pretend they send used quite harsh violence against peaceful protesters i think that because of that they can and government will be able to actually move towards a declaration of independence i think that is now likely and can i just say it's not just pro independence people that are being hit by police on the streets of boston and now there are a lot of people that are touting against independence or voting in blank you know in the referendum people that they want of all out assaulted by the police for trying to vote on this in this referendum or are seeing. spanish flags queuing up

to vote as well and they're also having their democratic rights denied this is not about catalans versus spent and it's this is a complete representation of the conflict in a system that we thank you very much for your time on this i'm afraid that is all the time we have i would like to thank all of guests to enjoy the in is at luke starr bought and sagna on the all joining us from boston line a thank you very much for your time and thank you for watching you can see the program again any time by visiting our website al-jazeera dot com and for further discussion go to our facebook page that facebook dot com forward slash a.j. inside story you can also join the conversation on twitter handle as at a.j. and side story if a man is a problem and the whole team here by financial ruin. a

new year a new kind many new developments for this chinese villages fledgling democracy the village committee has retrieved people's land but approval is fleeting the frustration grips the villages and as the saga began over a year before result is in the air police call. part for a six part series is filmed over five years. china's democracy experiment at this time on al-jazeera. the latest news as it breaks many of the people here came to this camp with injuries and illnesses already with detailed coverage the border

between china and north korea stretches of over fourteen hundred kilometers unlike the demilitarized zone the obvious fear here is very relaxed from around the world the water that comes in the trucks relist water from the shallow holes in the is full of sediment and of course the high risk of disease. a scandal which worked the nation to its core and exposed hundreds of court officials. in bribes just to show the most dangerous commodity one and sometimes take a spark of their own edifice to blow up a personal fight against judicial corruption has a much higher by i come out of my cum in an exclusive documentary al-jazeera examines one man's extraordinary battle for justice in donna at this time one of the really special things about working for al-jazeera is that even as a camera woman i get to have so much empathy and contribution to

a story i feel we cover this region better than anyone else would be for which is you know it's very challenging given in a particular because you have a lot of people that are divided on political issues we are with the people we live to tell the real stories are just mended used to deliver in-depth journalism we don't feel inferior to the audiences across the globe. fully back to go with a look at our main stories on al-jazeera initial figures show a decisive vote in favor of catalonia secession from spain in sunday's.